Rub rail assemblies of the kind with which the present invention is concerned typically include a somewhat absorbent rub rail, made of a material such as rubber or plastic, and a metal channel strip support which may be extruded aluminum to which the rub rail is appropriately attached. Rub rail assemblies of this kind are used principally to protect wall surfaces, equipment, etc. which in ordinary use are subjected to repeated frequent and abusive impacts or abrasions, such as vehicle doors and fenders, marine docks, supermarket checkout counters and cases including refrigeration cases, shelving, display tables, refrigeration equipment, etc.
Typically, rub rail assemblies known today (see FIG. 1 of the drawings) include the rub rail supporting channel strip 1, and the extruded rub rail 2 member secured to the channel strip by means of a pair of hollow leg members 3, 4 or other such interlocking elements. Each of the leg members are deformably engaged by a correspondingly configured rigid jaw 5,5' or 6,6' formed in the channel strip. The channel strip 1, like the plastic or rubber impact-absorbing member 2, is ordinarily and most advantageously provided and used as an extrusion, with both members being cut or otherwise formed with substantially the same length.
Until recently, little if any effort was made to give the impact-absorbing rub rail extrusions any personality or character. The industry apparently understood that, because of the frequent and abusive impacts and abrasions received by the outer, object-contacting surfaces of the rub rail, any layers of paint or other aesthetic-enhancing material carried by those surfaces would, in a very short period of time, be rubbed, chipped or scratched off, or otherwise removed. Therefore, impact-absorbing extrusions were primarily formed of a dull black or dark-colored rubber or soft plastic material.
Recently, in connection with commercial uses and environments, it has become fashionably desirable to use rub rails which possess enhanced aesthetics, and in particular a brightly colored exterior surface. Such desired coloring has been achieved by adding a coloring substance, e.g. a suitable dye or pigment, to the rubber or plastic material prior to extrusion of the rub rail.
In performing this step in the extrusion process, it has been found nearly impossible to produce extrusions having consistent excellence in appearance while still maintaining close dimensional tolerances in extrusions of unbalanced cross section, especially using rubber or soft plastic. These soft products, being relatively thick, e.g. on the order of 0.175 to 0.325 inches, have a tendency during extrusion to form sink marks and "alligator" skin. One attempted solution for these production problems has been to extrude rub rails of more rigid material. Such rigid materials, however, have proven to be less than desirable because, once formed into extrusions, they have a marked tendency to crack during use. The result is a rub rail which in a very short amount of time exhibits unappealing cracks, and which also tends to catch on clothing and poses the potential problem of creating safety hazards.
To avoid this problem, it has been found necessary to use extremely expensive materials, such as polycarbonates, but this solution also is undesirable since the costs of production are greatly increased. Rigid materials, including both the more expensive polycarbonates and the like as well as less expensive plastics, suffer from another defect as well, i.e. these are stiff and can only be handled as either long and unwieldy and difficult to handle elements, or as a plurality of short pieces, both forms increasing installation costs.